The teenage suspect in the murder and dismemberment of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway will stand trial after a judge ruled there is enough evidence, including an alleged 911 confession, to move forward with the case.
Prosecutors played the 911 recording on Friday at a preliminary hearing for Austin Sigg, 18, in which the teen confessed to murdering the fifth grader and trying to kidnap a female jogger.
"I murdered Jessica Ridgeway, I have proof that I did. I'm giving myself up completely, there will be no resistance whatsoever," Sigg said on the Oct. 23, 2012, recording, according to ABC News Denver affiliate KMGH-TV.
The dispatcher then asked about his criminal history.
"The only other [incident] was Ketner Lake, where a woman was attacked. That was me," Sigg said in the recording.
A lead investigator on the case testified that Mindy Sigg, the teen's mother, told the dispatcher her son had hidden Jessica's remains in a crawl space under the family home, KMGH reported.
Authorities arrested Sigg at his Westminster, Colo., home that evening.
Sigg is charged with murder, kidnapping, sexual assault and robbery in the Ridgeway case.
He faces an attempted kidnapping charge for the May 28, 2012, attack on a 22-year-old female jogger. Police said a man tried to grab her from behind on a trail around Ketner Lake.
Courtesy Westminster Police Department
Jessica Ridgeway's Death Connected to Jogger Attack Watch Video
Jessica Ridgeway Abduction Case: Hunt For Child Predator Watch Video
Missing Colorado Girl Jessica Ridgeway: Finding a Killer Watch Video
The woman said the man tried to put a rag over her mouth that had a chemical smell. She was able to get away and call 911.
A judge ruled Friday that Sigg should be held without bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 12.
Jessica Ridgeway Disappearance Rattles Community
The search last fall for Jessica Ridgeway had the Westminster, Colo., community on edge as they grappled with the notion a cold-blooded predator could be hiding in their midst.
The fifth-grader was last seen on Oct. 5, 2012, when she left for school. She never showed up at a nearby park where she was supposed to meet friends for the one-mile walk to her elementary school. It was a route she took every day, but this time she never arrived.
An extensive FBI search included knocking on doors, road blocks, and encouraging people to report any suspicious behavior observed in friends and family members.
Jessica's dismembered torso was found inside a bag in Arvada, Colo., on Oct. 10. Her legs, arms and head were found in the crawl space under Sigg's home, Detective Luis Lopez told the court on Friday, according to KMGH. Her cause of death was asphyxiation, he said.
Authorities turned their attention to Sigg after a neighbor called a tip line Oct. 19 to report Sigg wore a cross similar to the one police believed the killer wore, and said the teen had a fascination with death. Two FBI agents took a DNA sample from Sigg, who was 17 years old at the time.
It wasn't until the 911 call on Oct. 23 that Sigg was taken into custody.
Sigg had been a student at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colo., according to his arrest report, where classmates said he was studying mortuary science.
The Ridgeway and Sigg families attended the hearing on Friday. Both families were dressed in purple, which was Jessica's favorite color.
ABC News' Christina Ng contributed to this report.
Jessica Ridgeway Murder Suspect to Stand Trial
This article
Jessica Ridgeway Murder Suspect to Stand Trial
can be opened in url
http://newsrevelatory.blogspot.com/2013/02/jessica-ridgeway-murder-suspect-to.html
Jessica Ridgeway Murder Suspect to Stand Trial
